MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is currently experiencing a major crisis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday, speaking in the State Duma, the lower house of the national legislative assembly.”There is a major crisis in the WTO, just as in certain other areas, particularly in the sphere of international investment and international finance,” Lavrov said.The Minister cited the situation involving China, which had observed all the rules laid down in the instruments of globalization after World War II. “When doubts arose, the People’s Republic of China gave all explanations to the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB), that is, it observed all the standards. Playing on the US’ own court, it started beating them at their own game and has already come out on top in terms of GDP by purchasing power,” the Russian top diplomat said.”There is a vague clause in the WTO that enables countries to introduce sanctions in case any existential threats to national security occur. You can put anything under that. The second problem is also the complete collapse of the said dispute resolution body of the WTO, since the Americans do not want to respond to fair appeals that are sent to them by many countries, especially the People’’s Republic of China,” Lavrov noted.The Dispute Resolution Body “cannot work” because the US artificially blocks appointments of members required to have a quorum, the Minister said. “It’s so simple. Just like the party meetings that need to be scripted,” he noted.”So it is necessary to fight it,” Lavrov concluded.
